Forever
by Calliope-Beautiful Voiced
Summary: [One-shot] Optimus knows that he must keep his emotions in check; but there's a day of the year in which he just has to let go… A day in which he needs to be left alone…


**Hello! The other day I was listening to this song, and I couldn't help but to think about one of my favorite OTPs of _Transformers_. That's right Optimus and Elita.**

 **I'm not going to lie, this is a sad fic, because it is a sad song...**

 **You've been warned.**

 **Warning: English isn't my mother language, so there might be some grammar mistakes in here.**

 **DISCLAIMER 1: I do not own _Transformers_ franchise, nor its characters. It is a registered trademark of Hasbro.**

* * *

 **FOREVER**

Ratchet entered the control room just like any other day, focused on his job, trying to ignore the noise that the three children were doing while playing with their videogame ―whose brilliant idea it was to allow them to bring in the TV and the mini-fridge anyway? ―, right on time so see a red truck leaving the base without telling anybody. It was a strange behavior from Optimus just to tiptoe his way out; he usually announced when he was going out, either to scout for Energon, or to make a few rounds.

A series of beeps and whirs made the medic snap out of his thoughts, finding Bumblebee now standing next to him. His message was short and cryptic for the others: "It's that day of the year…"

The old mech, understanding, simply nodded, and patted the youngling on the shoulder. However, they didn't realize that Rafael heard, and, since he could understand the scout's way of communication, it wasn't a surprise that he suddenly asked what day it was. Arcee and Bulkhead, who didn't know the whole story, only told their human companions what they've seen so far: once the year, every year, Optimus tended to sneak out of the base for a couple hours. However, they ignored why or what he does during his time out.

Ratchet pretended not to notice the quizzical looks from the children as he turned to work on the mainframe's terminal. Yes. Their guess was right. He knew the reason why the Prime acts like this; the _whole_ reason… But he didn't have the right to share it.

With one last sigh, the medic deactivated Optimus' beacon, so nobody would bother him until his return.

* * *

As usual, he didn't have a destination in mind, and simply let his tires take him wherever the road lead to. The sun was already setting in the distance, right in front of him, meaning that he was going west; at least he knew which way he was going. If the children wouldn't have been there, he would've used the ground-bridge and left Nevada for a while; but… Sighing, he realized that those three would most likely wonder why he left; they were curious creatures after all. Hopefully, Ratchet would give them a satisfactory answer before his return.

Seeing that he already put some good miles between him and his team, the red truck left the road and took refuge between the tall rocks, before transforming. The sky was starting to become dark, he could finally see some stars; however, what he really liked was the pink-lavender shade that the firmament was taking. Another year passed by since the _Ark_ left Cybertron… since he left…

Closing his optics, feeling a pang of pain within his spark, Optimus sat against the closest boulder he could find. There were little times in which he couldn't keep his emotions in check: whenever one of his Autobots or human friends got badly injured by the Decepticons; and… and in the anniversary of _that_ day… During this time he couldn't help but go back to feel like Orion Pax, and want to be left alone to himself; free to drift among his sweetest ―and bitterest― memories of her…

… … …

 _It was eons ago, yet, he could still remember the amusement park with full detail, almost as if he was there again. It was never one of his favorite places, though; he hated to be surrounded by strangers, it made him feel out of breath, as if he was drowning. But, that night, he had to make an exception. He checked his inner chronometer, only to find that he has been standing at the park's entrance for over a joor._ "Ariel is never late…" _He thought, starting to wonder if the femme would even show up…_

 _Right when he was starting to feel like an idiot, a chuckling, feminine voice called out for him…_

 _The moment he turned, his optics landed in a pink two-wheeler bot that was running up to him, waving her right hand to get his attention._

 _Smiling, he waved back and walked up to her. The gleam in her armor told the clerk that she buffed a little for their date; honestly, he was going to too, but the master archivist made him work afterhours. He barely had time for a shower when he got out of the Hall._

 _"_ _Sorry I'm late!" She apologized almost immediately. "Some jerks decided to arrive when we were closing the port, and I had to deal with the cargo."_

 _"_ _It's alright, Ariel, I arrived merely breems ago, anyway." He assured her, politely. Perhaps a little too politely; he was aware of his own stiffness, but he couldn't help to be nervous. This was his first date in his whole life; he had no idea of what to do, nor how to do it. He decided just to be himself and wish for the best. With some luck he would be the kind of mech that Ariel was looking for._

 _The pink femme, however, chuckled and arched an eyebrow, her left hand on the side of her waist. Her lips were curved up in a smirk._

 _"_ _You're a lame liar." The two-wheeler mocked him, thanks to which his cooling fans whirled a little. Its faint sound made the femme giggle a bit._

 _Embarrassed, Orion averted his eyes. Great, nor a klik passed and he was already making fun of himself… Just awesome. Definitely, he was no smooth-talker material…_

 _Suddenly, a small servo wrapped itself around his own._

 _"_ _Are we going in or not?" Ariel wondered._

 _Nodding, he gladly took the femme's hand, leading her into the park._

 _The night passed by between their laughs and their constant chat, while he followed her diligently into every single attraction she wanted to go in ―unfortunately that included a roller coaster that made the poor mech pray not to faint in front of his date. The surprise came afterwards, when Ariel asked_ him _not to allow her to ride that thing ever again, while leaning into him for support; her steps, slightly unstable._

 _A few minutes before midnight, Orion asked Ariel to follow him. The femme, who was munching some sweet Energon chips, simply nodded and did as told, soon noticing that they were leaving the amusement park. The moment she found them approaching a tall tower that seemed abandoned, the two-wheeler tugged from his hand. The tall red and blue mech turned to look at his companion._

 _"_ _Where are we going?" She asked, quizzically._

 _He simply smiled and said it was a surprise, while entering the place. A little unconfidently, the pink femme followed him, gasping in surprise when she found out that there were other couples in there, and that the place wasn't an abandoned tower; it was an oriel._

 _Orion tapped her in the shoulder to get her attention once more, and, as soon as her optics were on him, the mech offered her a servo. Smiling, she grabbed it, allowing the clerk to guide her to the balcony's security riel. With his tall, it didn't took a big effort from him to open a good spot for her._

 _She chuckled and lied against the riel, gazing at Iacon's lights that were twinkling in the distance. However, that wasn't the reason why he brought her there, but because of what happened when the midnight finally struck: suddenly, the amusement park went dark… And a show of lights started._

 _Orion couldn't help but chuckle at the surprised look in Ariel's face when the many lights started to dance in front of her optics; and she turned to look at him, finding hard to believe that he remembered a passing comment of hers about this same show a few stellar-cycles ago. Back then she missed it, and the next time it was going to take place, Chromia was already dating and couldn't come along. The pink femme admitted that she didn't want to attend the show all alone, not with all the couples that would be around her._

 _"_ _You…" Ariel mumbled, gazing at the clerk's optics, not knowing what to think._

 _"_ _I heard a colleague talking about it, and I remembered you said you wanted to see it." He explained with a warm smile._

 _The femme, out of words, dedicated another glance at the show, before look at the mech next to her again._

 _"_ _Thank you." She finally managed to say._

 _A short nod, and both of them redirected their attention to the spectacle._

 _But before Orion knew what was going on, he felt Ariel leaning into him; his optics were soon on his companion, whose gaze was entirely in the lights in front of them, almost as if wasn't a big deal. And, somehow, he felt such action natural too; so, stepping way out of his comfort zone, the clerk embraced the femme from behind… And she didn't rejected him._

… … …

That night, was the first one of them as sparkmates; and, it was probably the happiest night of his entire life. After it, they tended to set days to meet for future dates, and, when their lunch breaks coincided, they also met to refuel. Little by little, their relationship was growing stronger ―even when they had to, either, cancel or postpone a good amount of dates due to their jobs.

 _"_ _She became my anchor… But…"_ Optimus remembered, as his mind drifted into one particular night: he was leaving the Hall of Records, when Ariel called, apologizing. She sounded agitated, so he asked if everything was alright, receiving a sigh; he could swear that she was massaging her temples right at that moment.

Apparently she wouldn't be able to make it to their date, because the warehouses were a complete chaos, and her boss would fire her. He told her that he understand, however, as soon as she growled again at the voice of some coworker that was heard on the background, Orion decided to take a detour… through the spaceports. When he arrived, Ariel was almost hyperventilating, stressed beyond her limits; reason why she most welcomed his hug.

They decided that the femme needed a little break, so they simply went to an empty warehouse, and, using a ladder to get on the roof, they spent a few minutes stargazing. Although, he was much more interested in the sleepy face that soon found his chest really comfortable.

 _"_ _I wanted to make her my whole world…"_ The present day Optimus remembered, fighting his own sadness.

That night, he made his mind.

He would ask Ariel to become Conjux Endura.

His spark almost sprinted out of his chest when the femme accepted his proposal, and they started the ceremony, steadily fulfilling the four acts. By the time they were about to fulfill the third, and since they were halfway there, they were starting to make plans; for instance, where to live.

Optimus chuckled bitterly, remembering that Ariel at some point insinuated that she wished to have a sparkling someday. He almost suffered a glitch when he understood the message… He never saw himself as a sire ―still doesn't, although he could admit that he behaved like one, especially with the three children around―, but, to tell the truth, he wouldn't have minded it either.

But, then, _he_ came around; and all their plans simply fell down to oblivion rapidly.

The lonely Prime couldn't help the growl that came out of his voice box at the upcoming memory.

… … …

 _It was one intimidating mech the one he had to help that day, and for a good reason: the guy was a former gladiator! He introduced himself as Megatronus of Kaon, and told Orion that he was preparing a speech for the High Council, but that he required the help of an expert. Being a clerk, it was his job, so, of course he accepted the challenge._

 _To his surprise, this guy seemed to share some of his own ideas about Cybertronian society. Good. At least, it would be easy to work along him._

 _A couple quartex ago, Orion found himself calling the silver grey mech a friend; which was a true surprise, given his social skills… It wasn't weird to see the two of them together at the Hall, either for businesses, or for a merely friendly chat. But it was in one of the former situations in which Megatronus found out about the clerk's sparkmate._

 _"_ _Orion!" Ariel called, as she exited the elevator, a big happy smile on her face. However, the moment she saw the second Cybertronian there, one that was even taller than her mate, she stopped on her tracks._

 _"_ _Ariel, I wasn't expecting you today." He greeted her, never minding the former gladiator as he went to hug the femme._

 _"_ _I came out earlier, so I was wondering if you were free; but…" She explained while turning to look at the other mech in the room._

 _Orion understood immediately, and introduced both bots, before apologize with his mate, saying that he was in the middle of something. Surprisingly, Megatronus cleared his throat, calling both sparkmates' attention._

 _"_ _No need, Orion. I'll be fine." He said, while walking up to the elevators. "Sorry for have entertained you for so long, my friend." The gladiator apologized, placing a servo on the clerk's shoulder. Then, he looked at the femme. "It was a pleasure, Ariel."_

 _"_ _Pleasure was mine." She answered politely, with a small bow._

 _Finally, the silver grey bot left the scene._

 _"_ _I don't really like him, Orion…" Ariel admitted later, both of them strolling around the crystal gardens, enjoying the sun's reflection in the glossy transparent flowers._

 _"_ _Who? Megatronus?" He wondered, truly surprised._

 _She nodded._

 _"_ _I can't explain it, but… I don't know." The two-wheeler embraced herself, rubbing her arms. "I have this cold feeling in the bottom of my tanks whenever I think of him. Like a bad hunch." She explained, looking at her mate, truly worried._

 _Sighing, he passed his arms around her, wrapping her petite figure in a warm embrace; meanwhile, he kept promising that, at the first sign of Megatronus turning unreliable or false, he would turn around and get away from him._

 _Satisfied, Ariel nodded and got on her tiptoes to peck him on the lips._

 _"_ _Maybe I'm overreacting, though…" She chuckled, wrapping her arms around his waist._

… … …

But she wasn't. She was right all along; and he should've listened.

Unfortunately, he wasn't fast enough.

And he would never forgive himself for it…

Not after that night.

… … …

 _He got to know about the attacks through Ironhide and Chromia, and immediately called for Ariel. He needed to hear her voice…_

 _But she didn't pick up…_

 _In fear, praying for her to be fine, Orion transformed and drove towards the spaceports' warehouses, knowing that she worked late that night._ "Please, don't be there; please, please, don't be there…" _He was begging as he arrived to the place, which was now a wreck, flooded with warrior-class and law enforcers. No doubt: Megatron's men were there._

 _Recognizing Ironhide among the Cybertronians working on the scene, the clerk went straight up to his friend, and pleaded the red and grey warrior to allow him to search the area, explaining that Ariel was missing. The bulky red mech, knowing about their relationship, nodded and let him in; then, both of them went towards the area in which the pink femme worked._

 _Orion couldn't believe his eyes: the whole place was destroyed, and there was evidence of plasma fire everywhere. Megatron was doing all this… just because the Primes offered_ him _the title?! He could have it if he wanted it so badly! He had no intentions of becoming a Prime! He didn't want it!_

 _"_ _By the Primes…! Orion!" Ironhide called out from a warehouse's door._

 _The clerk went to check it out… And his Energon froze within his veins, his spark feeling like being ripped out._

 _Ariel was lying on the ground, a huge burn in the middle of her torso, her biolights twinkling, threatening to turn off. Before Ironhide was able to stop him, Orion ran up to the femme and cradled her in his arms, discovering that she was weak but alive._

 _"_ _She needs immediate medical attention. Let me call our friend." Ironhide said, inspecting the two-wheeler, before reach for his com-link. "Ratchet! Thank the stars! Are you still at the clinic? It's Ariel…" He said over the call, looking at the femme._

… … …

Optimus felt his optics about to shed lubricant at the memory. It was so vividly burnt in his processor, that he felt like he was actually there again, with his precious Ariel badly wounded, with Ironhide and himself hurrying the two-wheeler into the clinic. He gulped at the image of the red warrior kicking the building's door open, making room for him and the femme, while both of them called out for Ratchet, until he came out of a consulting room and, like lightning, he connected Ariel to life-support.

He remembers how Pharma arrived at that moment, and how the winged medic ordered to leave. But he didn't, he couldn't. His limbs weren't responding to him. Seeing the only femme he ever loved in such state broke him. _"And pushed me to become what I never thought I would be… A soldier."_ The Prime thought, clearly recalling the moment in which he walked up to Ironhide… and asked his friend to train him. If it wouldn't have been for Ariel being hospitalized, he would've never agreed to participate in a war; he never thought himself as soldier material…

… … …

 _"_ _An upgrade?" Orion repeated in disbelief._

 _Ratchet, who finally had a verdict after three quartex of having Ariel in emergency stasis and connected to life-support, nodded heavily, not locking gazes with the former clerk. Both of them were inside the consulting room, at the sides of the stretcher; the regular beeping of the monitors gave away that the femme was alive. Not a surprise. She was a fighter._

 _"_ _I fear so… Her frame is beyond repair, Orion. If I wake her up like this, she would be confined to a berth for the rest of her life. At best! The worst case scenario: she… won't wake up… again." The medic admitted, apologetically looking at the two-wheeler's slumbering figure. "The very fact that her spark is still lingering to her spark-chamber is a miracle."_

 _The red and blue mech pondered what his friend just told him, his spark and processor running faster than a Velocitronian racer. Confined to a berth? No. He couldn't do something like that to her; Ariel was a very active person. To be unable to move around would drive her insane._ "Plus, there's the war…" _He thought, biting his lip. Being now a soldier, he wouldn't be always around. Of course that he could leave the planet with her, start all over somewhere else; but he wouldn't be able to, not when he considered all this his fault. If he would've been better at handling Megatron's wrath after the Council's decision…_

 _Besides, Ariel wouldn't like to leave Chromia behind, and the cerulean femme was now the leader of a small Autobot resistance, so she couldn't leave; and, so, the two-wheeler wouldn't want to run and hide either._

 _With a heavy spark, Orion authorized Ratchet and Alpha Trion ―who offered his help, all because he really appreciated the former clerk, and knew how important this femme was to him― to perform the upgrade. Nodding, the white and orange mech left the room, saying that he would inform the master archivist, and leaving the two lovers alone._

 _Orion squeezed Ariel's servo, hoping that she would show any kind of response. Nothing, except a very small rise on her spark-beat's rate._

 _Sighing, he laid his forehead against hers, closing his optics._ "Please, stay…" _He begged, before kissing her._

… … …

That night was the one in which he was sent to Cybertron's core; the night in which he received the Matrix, the relic for which Megatron started the war, and sent their home planet spiraling into oblivion.

Sighing, Optimus gazed the stars upon his head. The sky was pitch black now, save for the constellations that decorated it, and the round full Moon. Sometimes, he wished to be capable of seeing Cybertron's sun from Earth; at least, home wouldn't feel so far that way… _"Why me?"_ He wondered, knitting his eyebrows. It was a question that pestered his mind, ever since he emerged from the depths of his planet as Optimus Prime. Even when Alpha Trion tried to reassure him, saying that there was no doubt within his spark about him being the right one for the job. Honestly, the former clerk had a very hard time believing it…

But, as the battles kept hitting Cybertron, Optimus soon found himself leading the whole Autobot army. Soon enough, Iacon became a stronghold filled with both, soldiers and Neutrals who were trying to get off planet, out of danger; and all of them were depending on him.

Soon, quartex became stellar-cycles, and those became vorns; and the war didn't seem to be anywhere closer to an end. Sometimes, he felt like he was inches away from losing it all…

And those were the times in which he visited the sick bay room to which Ratchet and he moved Ariel's slumbering form.

The shock it was to see her new frame for the first time…

… … …

 _Ariel was no longer that petite two-wheeler from his memories, but an average tall four-wheeler femme. Turned out that the medics had to rebuild her from scratch._

 _"_ _We merely upgraded her outer frame." Ratchet assured him. "Unbelievably, her inner systems were almost untouched." He passed him the diagnosis, while showing the Prime the corporal diagrams of the femme._

 _Optimus nodded and looked at his sparkmate, hoping for her to wake up soon. He had no idea if she would still love him now, nor how she would take the news of her prolonged stasis; but, regardless, he wanted to see her awake and healthy. Just knowing that she was conscious again would be enough…_

… … …

With a sad smile, he remembered when his wish was granted, some orns after that day.

… … …

 _He was in a meeting with Jazz and Ironhide at the Omega outpost's command center, when the door suddenly slid open. Slightly irritated for haven't been able to recharge properly in cycles, plus the fact that he told his men not to bother him until the meeting was done, Optimus prepared himself to tell whoever it was to leave…_

 _Only to find himself at loss of words, as his optics met a pink figure entering the room._

 _He told the other two mechs to leave them alone, and both of them complied, although Jazz was obviously confused; Ironhide, on the other hand, patted the newcomer in the shoulder and welcomed her with a smile, before disappear through the door, which closed and locked behind them._

 _"_ _Ariel…" Was the first thing that left his voice box as he walked up to her._

 _The femme, still unconvinced of he being him, placed a gentle hand on the side of his face; and the Prime slightly shuddered, before lean into the touch. After so long, he kind of feared that it was only a dream; but it wasn't, Ariel was really there, alive and conscious, trying to decide whether he was the Orion she remembered or not. Fortunately, she seemed to convince herself that it was him, since she soon hugged his waist and dug her face on his chest-plates. The red and blue mech returned the embrace._

 _"_ _You grew…" She muttered against his chassis._

 _And he let go a very welcomed chuckle._

 _Yup. This was his femme…_

… … …

He explained her what happened during her stasis, and, she, as brave as she was, volunteered to enter the resistance that Chromia was leading at the time. He tried to refuse, but Ariel didn't give in until she got what she wanted; of course that, first, she was given the firepower she would need to fight in the war. As for the required training, Optimus decided to train her personally. The last thing he wanted was to lose her again.

A very strong pang of pain hit him hard in the spark at the thought.

Because he lost her again…

… … …

 _The pink femme entered the command room, asking to talk alone with Optimus, who was in a meeting with Perceptor, who recently left the Wreckers to help in the building of the_ Ark _, the spaceship that would evacuate most of the Autobot army, next to the Prime. Only a few soldiers would stay back to cover their departure._

 _The red and black mech with the monocle blinked a couple times before eye his leader, who nodded, asking him to leave them alone for a couple kliks. The scientist did as told, closing the door behind him._

 _Ariel, who changed her designation to Elita-One shortly after her awakening, walked up to the mech, saying that she needed to go to the battlefront._

 _Optimus' optics widened at the requirement._

 _"_ _You can't." He said, baffled. "The_ Ark _will leave Cybertron tomorrow, at dawn. If you go now, then…"_

 _"_ _I know." The pink femme, now commander of the femmes' Autobot resistance, interrupted. "But I just got a call from Chromia, saying that, unless she receives some backup ASAP, she won't make it to the ship on time. We both know that Ironhide won't go anywhere without his Conjux, and you need him. Plus, you would rather charge against a Decepticon battalion, than abandon him here." She explained, before sighing. "Besides, she's a sister to me, Optimus. I can't just leave her by her own, no when she needs me."_

… … …

How he regretted it now!

… … …

 _"_ _Very well." He finally accepted, closing his optics._

… … …

Why?! Why did he let her go?!

… … …

 _"_ _But you must return to the outpost before the launching, otherwise…"_

 _"_ _I know." Elita, once again, interrupted him with a warm smile, already aware of how much he worries for her welfare. "I will be back on time." She assured him, placing a hand on his chassis, before lean in to kiss him… Thing that he gladly accepted after so long._

… … …

It would be the last kiss they shared… It was an unknown goodbye…

… … …

 _The next morning was a living hell._

 _The Decepticons found out the way to enter the outpost, and were trying to reach the_ Ark _. If he couldn't find a way to make them fall back, then they would've to leave before schedule, meaning that a several amount of people would've to be left behind… Including his own personal friends, and his sparkmate._

 _«_ Sir! We must leave now! _» Jazz told him through the com-link. The lieutenant was already onboard the ship, and helping whoever was left._

 _«_ The 'Cons are starting to reach the launching platform! We need to evacuate! _» This time, it was Red Alert._

 _Gritting his teeth, Optimus ran back to the awaiting ship, knowing that it won't go anywhere without him; and he couldn't let that happen, not with the amount of lives inside of that vessel!_

 _However, it wasn't until he was steps away that he was received with the only news that he didn't want to hear that morning:_

 _"_ _Optimus!" Ratchet came out of the spacecraft, running up to him, followed closely by Bumblebee; both of them worried. "None of them has returned yet!"_

 _They didn't?_

 _In panic, he called Elita._

 _She said that they were close by already, that the three of them would arrive to the_ Ark _in five kliks._

 _Nodding, the Prime decided to buy them that time._

 _Unfortunately, as the troops started to fall, and the_ Ark _and its crew were endangered, Optimus found himself falling back, towards the vessel._ "Come on… Come on…" _He pleaded, scanning his surroundings… Until he saw them. Three figures were running up at the ship, while fighting back the invasion. Yes! It were them! They made it!_

 _Seeing that they were already close, he gave the order to start the engines…_

 _Right before an explosion was heard. The Prime knew where it came from and why: the 'Cons were trying to bring the whole platform down, next to the ship and its crew. If they succeeded, the ninety percent of the Autobot army would be lost forever. Game over._

 _«_ Leave. _» Elita's voice suddenly reached him through the com-link._

 _Optimus looked at the three distant figures. They all stopped running._

 _"_ _Negative, you can still make it!" He answered._

 _«_ No, we were never going to make it. All we can do now is buy you time to take off… _» She told him. There was both, decision and sadness in her voice. Another explosion was heard. «_ You _have to go_ , Optimus. The ship isn't going anywhere without you in it. _»_

 _"_ _Elita, I'm not leaving you!"_

 _«_ And I'm not giving you an option… _» That said, she turned off her com-link._

 _A battle started, between the three Autobots and the Decepticon invaders._

 _Ratchet had to pull him inside the_ Ark _, while trying to explain to a very frantic Bumblebee why they weren't coming along; only to, then, do what Optimus should have: order the take off._

 _Spark-broken, the Prime found himself onboard of the ship that would take him off planet… But the person he most cared about wasn't with him. He just left her behind…_

 _Yet the worst was to come, for, while the three of them were watching the figures of Ironhide, Chromia and Elita stand their ground against an impossible amount of 'Cons, the last explosion was heard… and the whole platform gave in… under the three Autobots._

 _"_ _No!" He yelled, knowing himself incapable of going to their rescue._

 _"_ _By the AllSpark…" Ratchet gasped, both hands on his helm._

 _Bumblebee simply whirled in denial, slightly shaking his head, while stumbling a couple steps backwards, doorwings down._

 _Just like that… they were gone._

… … …

The cold breeze of the morning woke him up. At the sight of the rising sun, Optimus knew that he dozed off and spent the entire night away from the base. His team was probably wondering for his welfare by now; he had to go back quickly.

Rubbing his optics, his digits met with dried trails of lubricant. He cried in his sleep…

He couldn't let the others see him like this; so he wiped his face with his servos the best he could. Ratchet wouldn't judge, since they were friends back when he was a mere clerk; but the others met him when he was already Optimus Prime, and would find strange to see him in such state, and would start asking questions. That without counting the three human children, especially Miko.

His joints screeched as he rose to his feet, once he felt his face clean enough. Time to go…

Sighing, he looked up to the sky that was recovering its bluish color. _"Until next year, Elita…"_ He thought, saying his goodbyes to the memories he had to lock up in the back of his mind. Yesterday was a special occasion; he always dedicated that particular date to be alone with his memories… With the only thing he had left from her.

But the rest of the year, his team needed him focused in the war at hand. He was decided not to lose another Autobot. Megatron's thirst for power wouldn't take another life, not under his watch.

With a heavy spark, due to the memories that he brought to surface last night, he transformed and drove back to base.

Time to reunite with his team…

The first one in receive him wasn't Ratchet, as he expected, but Arcee, who was on her way out ―it was her turn to take the first patrol. Nodding, Optimus tried to ignore her surprised face at his looks and to go straight to his private quarters to wash himself.

"Optimus." The two-wheeler called, after he took a couple steps toward the back of the silo. He turned to look at her. "Last night, when the kids asked where you were going… I realized that none of us knows." She commented, walking closer to him. "So, if I may ask, why do you…?"

"I'm afraid that it is personal." He told her, before she could finish her question.

The femme jolted, recognizing that she was nanoseconds away from offending her leader.

"My apologies, Optimus. I didn't mean to insult you." She hurried to say, before resume her original way, towards the exit.

The Prime sighed at her reaction. Perhaps it was time to explain his "strange" behavior.

"Arcee." He called, and she stopped on her tracks, right before transforming. "I went to present my respects to someone I lost… and I really appreciated." He told her.

The blue femme simply smiled and nodded, saying that she understood the feeling, before finally leave. Once alone, Optimus heard another pair of pedes approaching.

"So, you decided to tell her?" It was Ratchet.

"Only what they need to know. Not the whole story, old friend." That said, he left the control room and went to his wash rack to get rid of the dirt that he got during the night.

Primes may have to keep their emotions in check.

But, once a year, he needed to stop being Optimus Prime for a couple hours; because he couldn't prevent himself from feeling… Not when it was about the only femme he ever loved. The only one he would ever love in his life…

 _"_ _Until we meet again, Elita… In the AllSpark…"_ He thought, closing his optics, letting the warm oil of the wash rack take away the stiffness of the night's cold wind.

 **…**

 **THE END**

* * *

 **I hope you liked it... and that I didn't tear your feelings apart on the process...  
**

 **A/N 1: The idea of the amusement park came from a scene from _Transformers Prime: Predacons Rising_ , in which Starscreams flies over what seems to be a ferris wheel, when returning to Shockwave's lab.**

 **A/N 2: I wish to aplogise, for when I uploaded this story I left the song lyrics included. I forgot that it wasn't allowed. Thanks to catspats31 for making me notice my mistake.**

 **See ya around!**


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